Rotary engine.



L. S. FLATAU.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1912.

. 1 1 0, 302. v Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

5 INVENTOR M W 2 5 Attorneys THE NORRIS PETERS Cf. PHOTOL/ 1 "Ln, WASHINGTON I14 u L. S. FLATAU.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 27, 1912.

Patented Sept. 8

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR 2 i Allomey 8 THE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHoro-urMa. WASHINdmN. D. I:

nivirnn enrich.

LOUIS s. rnaran, or s'r. Louis, ivrrssonni, aesrenoa arena-irate To DUDLEY o.

I (-WRAY, or Loni-s, i/rrssonar. I

' EDTAR-Y ENGINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Louis S. F ATAU, a citizen of the United States, reslding 1n the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have 1.. vented certain new and useful improvements in Rotary Engines, of which thetollowing is a specification.

lily invention relates to an improvement in rotary engines of the turbine type, the object being to provide an engine in which various media may be employed to eiiect the propulsion of the engine, as for instance gas, steam, water, or the like.

This engine comprises few parts, assembled in compact form, and by actual test has developed a very high speed and satisfactory horse-power.

Vlith the several objects mentioned in view, my invention comprises astaticnary expansion chamber mounted OI1"SL1lt?,lJl6 standards, and inclosing therewithin suitable mechanism for discharging the propel ling medium from various points simultaneously to drive a wheel which surrounds this chamber and is providedperipherally with radially-disposed vanes in position to be impinged by the propelling medium as it issues in jets vfrom the expansion chamber, together witi valves and means for simultaneously controlling said valvesto regulate and control the discharge from the jets upon the wheel. 7

My invention further consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a longitudinal section on theline AA of Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 is asection at right angles to Fig. 1 on the'line BB of Fig. 1, and Fig. 8 is a detail.

The numerals 1 and 2 represent the two shells which, when together, constitute a stationary expansion chamber which receives and discharges the impelling medium, whether it be an explosive mixture, steam, or water, these shells being secured together by screws or bolts 3, 3, of which any number may be employed. The shells 1 and 2 have hubs a, and 5, respectively, the former being hollow and serving as an inlet for the propelling medium, and the hub 5 is counterbored axially to receive the valve-stern, 6.

Specification of Letters Patent.

7 Application filed March 27, 1912.

outer edges of the shells 1 and 2. 'point intersection of each pair of nozales, a valve 16 is rotatably mounted, Each Serial No. 686,512.

These hubs are supported and secured in the standards '4, 7. A rotary vane wheel 1s also made in two sections 8 and 9, the hollow hubs of which arecounterbored and mounted to turn on the hubs i and 5 of the shells l and 2, and these shells 8 and 9 encompass the stationary expansion chamber, they being spaced apart andheld together by the tapern g radially-disposed vanes 10, 10, which latter are seated at their edges in grooves 11, 11, in the casings 8 and 9, and have nuts 12, 12, screwed on their outer ends to perform the duplex function of holding the vanes rigidly in place and the outer shells 8 and 9 together around the expansion chamber. V

llithin the expansion chamber, the various valves arprovided for controlling the discharge of propelling mediumthrough the nozzles. These nozzles are arranged in pairs radiating from a center common to each pair, one only of which nozzles of each pair is used at a time, either to drive the wheel forwarder to reverse it, these nozzles 13 and 14 being removably screwed into the valvering 15, which latter is a spacer between the At the o1. said valves hasa gear-wheel l7 thereon, and intermediate gears 18, 18, meshing therewith also inter nesh with a center gear-' wheel 19 keyed on the valve-stem 6, so that when the latteris turned, the several valves 16, 16, are simultaneously rotated to bring the outlets 20 thereof into registry with either the tube 21 leading to nozzle 13 or tube 22 leading to nozzle 14 accordingly as the engine is to be driven forward or reversed. Also integral with the inner end of the valve-stenn'or rigidly secured thereto is the inlet-valve 23, which has an opening 2%, in position to register with anopening 25. in the head 26 formed across the'inner end of the hub 1 through which the 'propolling medium, such as explosive gas,

steam, or water is supplied, a cap 2'? surrounding the valve-stem at this point and being screwed to a threaded nipple 28 on the inner wall or shell 1 to retain the valve 23 in place, this cap also having a hole 30 t irough which the propelling medium lssues into the expansion chamber on its way to Patented Sept. 8,1914,

the several valves 16, 16, which open into said chamber, whence it passes through the tubes 21 or 22 and the nozzles 13 or 1 1.

A throttle or hand wheel 31 is slidably attached to the outer end of the valve stem by means of a pin 32 operating in the L-shaped slot 33, and a spring 34: normally holds this throttle in vard on the shaft. When the pin is received in the L-shaped portion of the slot the stem can be turned for changing the position of the valves 16 for either shutting off the supply to the nozzles, or for bringing the valves in position with respect to the nozzles for obtaining a reverse or positive dr've.

A stufing boX 38 surrounds the valve-stem 6 and is screwed on to th outer end of the hub 5.

To keep the engine cool, the holes 39, 39, are provided in the shells 8 and 9. When it is desired to provide a constant drive, the throttle 31 is turned to a position so that the pin 32 is received in the l..-shaped portion or the slot 33 which holds it in a position for rotating the stem 6. The inlet va re 23 is turned by the rotation of the stem 6 to such a position that its port 24: registers with the ports 25 and 30, and also through the gears 19, 18 and 1'? causes the outlets 20 to register with either the tubes 21 or 22. The port 2 L is in the, form of an ar-ced slot so that the stem 6 may be turned to brin the outlets 20 of the valves 16 into registry with either or the said tubes and yet preserve the pasthrough ports 2-l, 25 l i hen steam is used the propelling medium, this expansion chamber becomes an auxiliary boiler as it were, which keeps the nozzles oll-supplied all times. r

The various valves mightbe manipulated by levers-attached to the central stem in lieu or the gear-wheel, and in fact other slight changes might be resorted to without departure from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. A rotary engine comprising an inner expansion chamber having nozzles which discharge radially therefrom, of a wheel mounted to turn on the hubs oi said chamber and having vanes in position to receive the impact from the nozzles, and means for controlling the dischar e from said nozzles.

2. A rotary engine comprising an expansion chamber, a wheel mounted to rotate about said expan n chamber, a plurality of reverse and posit e drive nozzles in said chamber adapted to discharge against said wheel, a plurality valves and each valve controlling the discharge from a reverse and a ositive nozzle, whereby either the positive or reverse nozzle will be discharged at a time, means for connecting the several valves together, and means for operating all of the valves simultaneously.

8. A. rotary engine comprising an expansion chamber, and a wheel incasing said chamber and provided with radially-disposed vanes at the periphery thereof, said vanes tapering to a thin edge toward the center and having concave surtaces.

4. A rotary engine comprising an expansion chamber, a wheel mounted to rotate about SitlCl EXQfiilSlOIi chamber, a plurality of reverse and positive drive nozzles in said chamber adapted to discharge against said wheel, a plurality of valves and each valve controlling the discharge from a reverse and a positive nozzle, whereby either the positive or reverse nozzle will be discharged at a time, and means for operating all of the valves simultaneously.

In testimony whereof I ill'llX my signature, in the presence oi". two witnesses.

LOUIS S. FLATAU. l Vitnesses T. W. TRAY.

E. OBERLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C. 

